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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R

>>42109481
>”But I paid a whole silver for that room!”.
>”Who are you?”.

>>42109481
>>Other?
TACKLE HUG
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

>>42109481
>”But I paid a whole silver for that room!”.
>”Who are you?”.

>>42109481
>”Do you always hit on girls like that?”.
>”Who are you?”.
We need to ascertain dad's moral fibre!

Also, nice to see you back with another thread MP!

>>42109481
>”Where is this “somewhere safe”?”
>”Do you always hit on girls like that?”.

"Who are you?", you have to ask. He didn't even introduce himself, even though admittedly he wasn't given a chance to, but you need something to call him other than "Dad", at least until you drop that on him, but out in the streets while on the run from the law might not be a good time for that.

"Name's Mosper", he sounds and looks perfectly calm about the situation, like he's used to being on the run from the law, "Adventurer extraordinaire. Well, nowadays I'm just trying to see if the army stationed at Maner needs an independent like me to help out, I hear they're always on the look for adventurers who want to put their lives on the line", he then chuckles, "Of course, if I was twenty years younger, I'd have come here with a party of my own and just challenged the Shadow Marches without backup, but I like to think I grew wiser with age instead of having... Lost bravery".

"You sure didn't lose your sick moves", Tahenohan compliments him, "I bet you learned some new ones with age, too. Especially under the sheets".

He laughs along with her at the "joke", though knowing your half-elf friend she was probably quite serious, "Let's try to not talk about this while out in the streets, young miss".

"I paid a whole silver coin for that room", you protest. Of course there's always a crowd no matter were you go, even if about half of them are people loitering in the corners or sitting on the sides of streets and alleys, trying to sleep or eat something of dubious provenience, and you don't want to draw any more suspect than you need to. You also have no idea where you are right now.

"I'm sorry", he answer, not giving the matter much weight, "I'll reimburse you, honest. Don't worry about that, but you really must give up on that coin".

>”Where's this safe place you mentioned?”.
>”Are you here on your own?”.
>”Why should I give up? I did nothing wrong!”.
>”No, I'm going back”.
>”Do you always hit on girls like that?”.
>Other?

>>42109763
>”Are you here on your own?”.
>"Why are you so helpful? Interfering back there was one thing, but even now that it's over with?"

>>42109763
>”Are you here on your own?”.
>”Where's this safe place you mentioned?”.
Wonder if he suspects Lillith might be his daughter. He should be able to place her approximate age, and there shouldn't be THAT many half-demons running around. Probably depends on whether he even knows he has a daughter, and whether Lillith shares some traits (whether demonic, like horn-shape and size, or more normal like face) with her mom.

>>42109763
>”Where's this safe place you mentioned?”.
>”Do you always hit on girls like that?”.

>>42109763
>”Where's this safe place you mentioned?”.
>”Are you here on your own?”.

"Where is this safe place you mentioned?", you ask.

"Oh, it's actually pretty close, I've been running in circles a bit to see if someone was following us", he nonchalantly claims, "It's where I'm staying, I've got a couple friends with me. Not quite party members but, well, you know, time passes for everyone", and he gives an almost melanchonic smile at that.

"So you're not quite here on your own".

"Travelling alone in a wild, mostly unexplored land isn't very smart no matter how experienced of an adventurer you are, at the very least because it's impractical", he explains, "Unless you're an autarch, I guess, but that'd make you quite barmy already, so you wouldn't count".

"Do you always hit on girls like that?".

"I'm sorry?", he half-turns to you.

"I understand interfering back then, but you could have left us once you were done, people would be looking for you instead of us. And even if it's true you're saving us, why are you being so helpful?".

He chuckles, reaching a full stop once he is in front of a thick-looking wooden door. You ended up in one of the many winding alleys in Reboldeux with many thin but tall buildings all next to each other, but whose entrances aren't quite aligned to the streets. The one you're in now is in a concave point, and it's a two-story building, but quite small all considered.

"Like I said, people are very nervous, and the Duke is a smart man. He doesn't want to have riots and rebellions on his hands because this is the only access to the Shadow Marches and if it's compromised, the Reconquista will also be compromised and the King will have his head", he explains while rapping at the door, "They were locals, you're weirdos and you, in particular, look like a spawn from hell. No offense", he smiles, "Guess who they were going to blame for the incident?".

>”You're being paranoid”.
>”Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago”.
>”Why would there be riots?”.
>”Won't the guards keep looking for us?”.
>Other?

>>42110064
>”Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago”.
>”Why would there be riots?”.

>>42110064
>”Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago”.

>>42110064
>”You're being paranoid”.
>”Why would there be riots?”.

>>42110064
>you, in particular, look like a spawn from hell. No offense
Oh don't worry, Lillith knows you haven't got any hang-ups about that. Hopefully he won't make things awkward that way.

>>42110064
>”Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago”.
>”Won't the guards keep looking for us?”.

>>42110064
>Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago”.
>”Won't the guards keep looking for us?”.

"Why would there be riots?", you ask, "Reboldeux wasn't like this a few weeks ago, my friends and I have found ourselves settled quite nicely after we arrived, I even got a job for the Duke the very day I came. What happened?".

"Pirates, undead, and I suspect any other sort of practical problem that comes when your army doesn't have a supply line strong and secure enough to support the baggage of civilians it has behind", he shrugs, "The Reconquista lost steam because the King did too good a job to get everyone fired up. He promised that everyone who had any problem at all, be it with money, life or job opportunities could just sign up, travel to a new continent and start a new life over there".

"Didn't that happen?", you arch an eyebrow, it did with you at the very least.

"At first, yes", he nods, "Because everyone was enthusiast, every ship captain could make bagfuls of money just carrying things over relatively safe and very well-traveled routes, and these lands are very fertile so there's hardly any food shortage. Unfortunately, people are now realizing that settling in the wilderness is hard and requires tools and materials we don't have, and there's monsters out there that make it dangerous to go and get them. So tens of thousands of people are stuck in Reboldeux, the food reserves are dwindling, the city is overpopulated and the Duke doesn't want people to settle and create slums out of the city walls".

You remember about that issue from where you first departed. It's amazing how things have degenerated in such a short while, but if what your father says is true there were signs of what was going to come.

The door then opens slightly and a middle-aged man, whose face is not as strong and healthy-looking as that of your dad, peeks out with obvious suspicion, "Mosper? Who's the lot behind you?".

>Introduce yourselves.
>Stay quiet, let dad speak.
>”Won't the guards keep looking for us?”.
>Other?

>>42110273
>Stay quiet, let dad speak.
He can handle it for now.

>>42110273
>Stay quiet, let dad speak.

>>42110273
>Introduce yourselves.
Tempted to go with 'Hey I'm Mosper's daughter, nice to meet you sir' but I'm sure we can find a better opportunity.

>>42110273
>Stay quiet, let dad speak.
We kinds already knew there would be riots. That's why we came back here.

Hope this isn't a trap, but if it is, the kid thing is a potential out at least!

Noticed someone requested another Lillith drawing in the Decu drawthread up by the way, pretty cute.

"Damsels in distress", your father explains, "On the run from trouble. Could you please let us in? I'd rather not get caught after all the pain we've been through".

The man behind the door squints his eyes and you see he tried to pull it closed, but apparently your father predicted that and put his foot in the doorstep. He even smiles at that attempt, "Oh come on mate, help an old chap out".

"Let me guess, you were out doing your adventurer gigolo thing again, right?", the other man stares at you, at your chest in particular, as he says that, "You deserve all the trouble you got into".

"No no, you're misunderstanding", your father smiles, "They really were in trouble, I'm just helping them out, I wasn't doing anything weird. Believe me, I'm as honest as men come".

Squinting just past you, the other man notices that you're also accompanied by a half-elf in weird clothes and a bunnygirl that actually looks distressed enough for all three of you. Sighing, he opens the door, but only quite enough to let you all squeeze in with some difficulty, "Be quick. And mind you: this is the last night I'm letting you stay here".

"Thanks mate", dad says as he precedes you. The inside is really cramped, about as much as you imagined from the outside: there's a straight, thin corridor that leads to a stairwell, two small rooms to each side that are longer than they are wide and are supposed to be a kitchen and a dining room, separate so that the first can double as a pantry, meaning you pretty much have to eat in the second even if you're alone.

"Come on upstairs", your father invites you, "I'll get you settled. Tonight's on me, I owe you at least this much. No, no need to thank me".

“Wow, this place is tiny”, Tahenohan comments, earning glares from the already pissed-looking old man. Bryld is pale, still trembling a bit and has tear streaks running down her cheeks.

>Follow your father upstairs.
>Stay down, check on Bryld.
>Ask the old man something (what?).
>Other?

>>42110507
>Follow your father upstairs.
We will probably need some time alone.

>>42110507
>Stay down, check on Bryld.
Should help her out when she's this traumatized, dad can wait.

>>42110507
>>Stay down, check on Bryld.
CHECK ON THE BRYLD

>>42110507
>Stay down, check on Bryld.
Hope he has a spare bed big enough for all three of us.

>>42110507
>Stay down, check on Bryld.

You know Bryld is quite sensitive and this might be her ordinary reaction to violence and danger, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't spend a moment with her to make sure she's okay. Besides, it's not like you're used to violence yourself, getting into a fight is a pretty dangerous prospect for you and you're unlikely to get out unharmed.

On the other hand, Tahenohan seems to miss beating people up. Then again, she's a barbarian.

"Are you okay?", you ask her. She looks up at you, and wipes her cheeks, as if she didn't realize she was crying.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I... Just froze up", she shakes her head, "I'm sorry".

"Don't worry, we're safe now", this isn't the first time you've seen her freeze in reaction to danger; it's not like you need to count on her as a fighter, but even if she was just a halfway decent one she's not going to contribute if she just stands there. You can't help but wonder if this is going to be a problem in your line of work, but then again you're not much good either except for running away. You guess that the kind of trouble you can find in your line of work is dangerous enough that only Tahenohan and her likes can tackle it with little concerns.

"Don't worry", Tahenohan adds, patting her on the back, "If they tried to do anything, I'd have twisted their bones inside their bodies". It's not even surprising that this makes Bryld even paler.

"P-please don't", Bryld asks, looking Tahenohan in the eye.

"But they-".

"Please. Don't".

"... Fine".

“When you three are done with your nice reunion, can you get your asses upstairs?”, the grumpy old man demands. He's skinny, lanky and with a spotty beard he likely never really shaves, and yet doesn't grow enough to be called a real beard, “It's enough of a pain to have to sleep in the dining room, at least leave the ground floor to me”.

>Go upstairs.
>”Are you a native here?”.
>”Why are you giving hospitality to these people?”.
>”What happened to Reboldeux?”.
>Other?

>>42110734
>”What happened to Reboldeux?”.
>Go upstairs.

>>42110734
>Go upstairs

>>42110734
>”What happened to Reboldeux?”.
>Go upstairs.

>>42110734
>Go upstairs.
>”What happened to Reboldeux?”

"What happened to Reboldeux?", you ask the man as you usher Bryld and Tahenohan upstairs, "It wasn't like this when I first arrived".

"You happened", his eyes are perpetual squints, like it was your fault all along, "Go upstairs too and don't take advantage of my hospitality, my patience is thin enough without your babbling".

"Okay", you have to say before you run his patience thin. If this trip back has taught you anything is that the tension is pretty high and incidents can spark out of the blue for absolutely no reason. And you really don't want that to happen again.

Once upstairs, you find that there's a quite spartan landing with only a cupboard and that's been fit with some bedrolls, an actual bed in a small room that's only large enough for one person and then the stairs continue for what must be the smallest, saddest attic you've seen. You're not sure if you want to actually go that far up to sleep, it looks like it can be full of spiders or other similar critters. Or maybe it's just dusty and cramped and not really suited to have people.

Other than your friends and your dad, there's another person up there. A lizardfolk woman who was sprawled in a corner of the landing on top of a sleeping bag and who just got up at the sudden influx of new people. The candlelight inside is quite dim but the window facing the streets lets in a large amount of light from the lamp posts outside. You can clearly see her scaly green skin, which is kind of yellow in the front of her throat and part of her upper chest, near the collarbone. She's wearing a very simple yet very colourful skirt and there's a long, heavy-looking saw-toothed sword on her side. Her long black hair is very straight and her expression is hard to read, but you notice she has a quite small nose and some of her scales are somewhat yellowish near the eyes, almost like a scaly version of freckles.

>Introduce yourself.
>Make sure you get settled properly.
>Drag your father for some alone time.
>Other?

>>42111053
>Drag your father for some alone time.

>>42111053
>Introduce yourself.

>>42111053
>>Make sure you get settled properly.

>>42111053
>Make sure you get settled properly.
Changed my mind. A bit too soon for the family bomb.

>>42111053
>Make sure you get settled properly.

>>42111053
>Introduce yourself.
>Make sure you get settled properly.
Yeah, alright.

Wonder who the lady is.

Wonder if anons changing their minds forced MP to re-write the start of the next update!

You decide that your first objective is to make sure you've got your bases covered.

Regretfully, you're going to have to accept that you're not getting the silver coin you spent back. It already was more than you expected to pay for just one small room, and you lost it. Your dad said he's going to reimburse you, which should at the very least make up for all the allowance you never got while you grew up an orphan, but that doesn't make it okay to waste money.

"Greetings", you nod to the lizardfolk woman in the corner, at first you wondered if you were embarrassing her since she has nothing but a colourful skirt on, made of what look like feathers and plant fiber, but she just nods back in answer, not saying anything. Despite the large and very dangerous-looking sword to her side she doesn't seem hostile, but not very talkative either.

Bryld and Tahenohan are already getting settled in the one small room that has a bed, your father insisting "It's okay, I don't need a bed, I'm an adventurer! And Meztli find them too soft so don't worry, really", before coming out to greet you.

"Ah, I see you've already made acquaintance", he looks at the lizard woman, "Mez, these three will be staying with us for tonight".

"Huh", is her only answer.

"See? She likes you already", and he chuckles, standing right in front of you, “We're going to be leaving tomorrow. Are you going to stay here for long? Tabbot might sound like a mean old man but he's just nervous about having to deal with my uncanny ability to get in trouble despite trying not to”, and he chuckles, before clearing his throat and collecting himself, "Say, do you have a moment to speak in private? There's something important I'd like to talk about".

He sounds relatively serious, like he's not making a big deal out of it but he really has something to say.

>”Sure”.
>”It's nothing we really need to be in private for, is it?”.
>”Actually, I have to tell you something, too”.
>Other?

>>42111425
>”Sure”.
Yeah, sounds fine!

>>42111425
>>”It's nothing we really need to be in private for, is it?”.

>>42111425
>"Sure thing, dad"

>>42111425
>>42111425
>”Actually, I have to tell you something, too”.
What is it? Inb4 it's just some random generic demon stuff.

>>42111425
>”Sure, I have to tell you something, too anyways”.

>>42111425
>”Actually, I have to tell you something, too”.
Tahe can take care of Bryld I guess...

"Sure", you nod, "I have to tell you something too, actually, so that works out".

"Really?", he didn't look like he was expecting it, but he smiles nonetheless, "That's great. Let's, ah, it's a bit cramped but I'm afraid it's as private as it can get". He leads you to the other side room which is just a place for the laundry, cramped and barely more than a storeroom, with an armoire and a chest at the end of each of the long sides, and little room to move in-between.

He does close the door, which puts the two of you quite close by. "So, I wanted to tell you...", he begins, "And please don't take it the wrong way, but I was serious when I said people are very nervous and most are looking for nothing but excuses to start rioting or rebelling or taking their stress out on someone, especially strangers".

"What does have to do with me?".

"You... Well, you're very demonic-looking", he states, "I don't know how much trouble you were given for this up to now, but when things turn into sixes and sevens it's those that look the most strange and different that get treated the worst. Ever been in a place where nobody had problems with monsters until they started hating them for apparently no reason? Well, I heard the same happened with the Shadow Marches natives when the last Fomor War started, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone in Reboldeux started thinking there needs to be a way to cull the strangers...".

"That's... Extremely creepy", you admit, "What's your plan?".

"Well, the Duke tried to keep the people at ease with games and food and by re-opening the royal casino he had closed until last week", he smiles, looking you over, "Are you any good at gambling?"

>"Yes".
>"Yes" (lie).
>"No".
>"No" (lie).
>"I don't know I've never done it before".
>"What does this have to do with anything?".
>"Actually, hear me out first... The truth is, I am...".
>Other?

>>42111681
>>"Actually, hear me out first... The truth is, I am...".

>>42111681
>"Yes".
>"What does this have to do with anything?".
Ishtar blessed dice.

>>42111681
>"Yes".
>"What does this have to do with anything?".

>>42111681
>"No" (lie).
Sounds fun.
>"What does this have to do with anything?".
Relations after.

>>42111681
>>"I don't know I've never done it before".

>>42111681
>>42111729
Backing!

"What does this have to do with anything?", you frown.

"No, see, there's a reason", he explains, "People still won't try and look for trouble with those that are of higher station. You might get picked on because you're a cambion and a stranger on top, but if the local start thinking you're someone important, they'll leave you alone. Or, well, the guards will leave you alone at least, which is actually what I'm most concerned about".

"So they're still looking for us?".

"They may or may not. But just to be safe, I want to bring you to the casino, with a nice dress on, and we'll mingle with the gentry and throw some money around so even if they do come looking for us they'll see we're not to be trifled with for trivial matters, and we'll get away with what we did", he smiles proudly.

"But we did nothing wrong in the first place".

"Sometimes there's just no justice to this world".

You have to agree with him.

"Well I'm good at gambling if that's what you're asking-".

"Good! Great. Er... I don't know if you've got a nice formal dress to put on, I can ask Meztli if she has something you can wear, although.... Eh...". It's obvious, even without staring at your chest that hard, that she's at least two cup sizes smaller than you. Maybe three, they looked really rather small.

“Okay, but I'm broke”, you explain, “I don't have any money to bet”.

“Ah, don't worry, that's where I come in”, he claims, “Not to brag but I do keep a bit of spare cash with me at all times. Not too much, because that'd be pointless, it's better to keep non-monetary valuables when you travel a lot, but it's enough to go gambling and hey, maybe even make a fortune!”.

He looks and sounds quite optimistic.

>”I don't have any dresses”.
>”I don't really want to go”.
>”If you just want to go to the casino you can say so”.
>”My turn, there's something I need to tell you about the two of us”.
>”Say, don't you see anything familiar about me?”.
>Other?

>>42111982
>”I don't have any dresses”.
>”My turn, there's something I need to tell you about the two of us”.
>”Say, don't you see anything familiar about me?”.
Lillith in a dress~

>>42111982
>”If you just want to go to the casino you can say so”.
>”Say, don't you see anything familiar about me?”.
Dad pls

>>42111982
>”If you just want to go to the casino you can say so”.
Is this going to be like a date?

>>42111982
>”I don't have any dresses”.
>”If you just want to go to the casino you can say so”.

>>42111982
>”I don't have any dresses”.
>”My turn, there's something I need to tell you about the two of us”.
>”Say, don't you see anything familiar about me?”.

>>42112113
Hopefully not, that'd be creepy.

"If you just want to go to the casino you can say so", you bluntly tell him. He just laughs back at you.

"Alright, I do admit I want to go, and that I need to be accompanied, and that Meztli isn't... Well, I'm not sure about her not having dresses but she's not the kind that wants to wear it and wear it well, I mean she wears cheap cord jewellery and calls it "clothing" for everything from waist up. Though after having felt the heat and humidity here I think she's the only one that got it right and we're the crazy ones", he chuckles, "But my other points still stand".

You can't help but let out a bit of a sigh. However, it's time to get focused and actually do something you've been meaning to since you've tasted his blood, but put off until now. In all honesty, it's a pretty great moment to: you're in private, Tahenohan is busy with Bryld and that lizardfolk woman is likely not going to move from where she is. She looks like she's hard to deal with, but that's your father's problem right now.

A part of you also wonders if she's his girlfriend or something.

"My turn now", you state.

"Oh right, you did have something to tell me?", he has a charming smile, you have to admit, "I'm flustered, sometimes I think I'm too old for pretty women like you".

"Charming. But take a better look at me", you invite him, and try to draw his attention away from your breasts for one damn moment, by touching your horns for example, "Haven't you seen me somewhere already? Is there nothing familiar about me?".

He freezes for a moment, then frowns slightly, "Er... No? I don't think we've met already. Heck, I would remember if I knew someone like you".

>”Does the name “Deviluke” ring a bell?”.
>”Want to touch these horns? Maybe they feel familiar?”.
>”I bet you've seen this tail already”.
>”You sure you've never seen those eyes before?”.
>”For the love of Iria I'm your daughter!”.
>Other?

>>42112324
>”Want to touch these horns? Maybe they feel familiar?”.
>”I bet you've seen this tail already”.
>”You sure you've never seen those eyes before?”.
All the better to get alimony from you, dear.

>>42112324
>”Does the name “Deviluke” ring a bell?”.
>Deviluke
pls

>>42112324
>”Want to touch these horns? Maybe they feel familiar?”.
>”You sure you've never seen those eyes before?”.
>”I bet you've seen this tail already”.
and when all those fail:
>”For the love of Iria I'm your daughter!”.

>>42112324
>”Does the name “Deviluke” ring a bell?”.
>”You sure you've never seen those eyes before?”.
>”For the love of Iria I'm your daughter!”.

"Want to touch these horns? Maybe they feel familiar?", you actually put his hands there and stare, maybe too intently, to get his reaction. At least you're making it clear you're trying to tell him something as he passes his strong fingers on those bones protruding from your head, kind of tickling you around the base. If you weren't worried with getting a message through you might focus on the particular feeling you're getting from realizing it's the first time your father pats your horns, even if he is unaware of everything. You can't really describe it, it's juts warm.

"Uh...", he frowns, still smiling, "They're pretty? A bit rough actually".

"You sure you've never seen these eyes before?", and you stare straight at him, and he stares back, but to no avail.

"No?", he chuckles, "You're not just clumsily hitting on me, are you? Because really there's no need to-".

"I bet you've seen this tail already", you smile and wrap the tail over for him to see, flipping the spade tip in front of him and trying to not scream at his obliviousness.

"Look miss I-", he looks at your tail, then his smile dies. He suddenly grabs it, making you jolt as an electric shivers runs up the tail and through all your spine, which makes him immediately relax the grip, but not let the tail go.

"Wait", he mumbles, staring with what looks like disbelief at the tip of your tail. "Wait", he repeats, his fingers running up the leathery skin and moving out to caress the near flat surface; the centre in particular always felt kind of ticklish but he seems to mostly be touching its tips, as if to ascertain their sharpness. His is a soft, comforting caress.

"I... Have seen this tail before", his voice has changed, as if his mind is trapped somewhere else, possibly somewhere deep in his memories.

>”Does the name “Deviluke” ring a bell?”.
>”I'm your daughter, Lillith”.
>”Where have you been all this time?”.
>Wait for him to say something.
>Other?

>>42112709
>”Where have you been all this time?”
Where indeed?

>>42112709
>>Wait for him to say something.
>>”I'm your daughter, Lillith”.

>>42112709
>”Where have you been all this time?”.

>>42112709
>”I'm your daughter, Lillith”.

>>42112709
>>42112750
Backing, sounds like a good approach.

>>42112794
But anon, a mix up is also a good approach!

>>42112709
>”I'm your daughter, Lillith”.
>”Where have you been all this time?”.

You had the advantage of having seen his vague figure in a prophetic dream, and having powers that enable you to confirm your blood legacy with but a lick, but to him this must be akin to his life crashing on his shoulder this very moment.

Where he was strong, good-looking and jovial just a moment before, he now looks sullen, tired, much closer to his physical age than he was before, even if all that changed was just his attitude. You don't think he has it in him to keep cracking jokes about dates and hitting on people, he just keeps staring at your tail as if he could just disbelieve it away.

"... This can't be", he even tries to deny.

"I'm your daughter, Lillith", you introduce yourself to him for the first time, but do it more properly than he thought possible. "Where have you been all this time?".

Maybe it was something in the tone of your voice, but he looks up at you with an expression that you wouldn't have problems calling anguished, clearly shocked by both the situation and the very question, "I... But. This can't be, she...", he looks back at your tail, then at you, "I didn't even know you existed! How was I supposed to...".

He stumbles back and slumps on the chest, sitting heavily enough to make the wood creak, sighing destitutely as he holds his head, as if to keeping it from spinning, "Blessed Gaia... What if all the other women have... It can't be, I was always responsible, and... But... She was a demon, how could I...".

He's clearly confused, dejected and doesn't really know what to say. He keeps mumbling something under his breath, and every time he tries to speak up he changes his mind at the last moment. He is still quite befuddled when he looks back up at you, "How did you know? How did you know it was me? We've never met before!".

>"I'm a priestess of Ishtar".
>"I've seen you in a dream".
>"I have a very keen sixth sense".
>Other?

>>42112994
>"I'm a priestess of Ishtar".
I dunno if we should volunteer that already, but it explains things well enough.

>>42112994
>"Daughter's intuition, and maybe a little bit of divination."

>>42112994
>"I'm a priestess of Ishtar".

>>42112994
>>42113065
Oh, I like this.

"Daughter's intuition", you answer, but you immediately realize from just his look that he's wondering if you're just fooling around with him, at which point you add, "... And a little bit of divination, maybe".

"Divination?", he wonders, thinking back to when he met you, "Were you there just hoping you could- Wait", he stops, as if he suddenly realized something, and touches the corner of his mouth, "... Did you... How?".

"I'm a priestess of Isthar", you simply tell him, hoping that he's worldly enough to know what that implies. You aren't surprised to see his reaction, it seems to calm him, as if all the situation starts making more and more sense to him.

"... Of course, the handkerchief...", he chuckles to break tension while shaking his head, "I should be more careful about this kind of thing, I suppose? But, how does anyone expect a priest of Isthar? Besides, what does that rite do? Find bastard children?".

"It finds blood bonds", you correct him, "Which includes children, bastard or not".

"Right...", he sighs, "I didn't mean to imply you were a bastard. Really, I... I didn't even think it was possible, I just- Oh I should have known better than to trust a demon, shouldn't I?".

Deep within your heart, you know the answer to this question is yes, but you're guilty of that too.

He remains silent for a while, as if deep in thought, then he notices you're still there and chuckles, “I'm sorry, I...”, he still has that old and tired look about him, “... I'm trying to find a logical explanation that will debunk your theory. I'm even thinking you're pulling a very elaborate scam for my money, but not even a Verdenian would be this good about it. That tail, in particular... It's just like... Like your mother's”.

>”It's okay, we're together now”.
>”Would you have preferred I said nothing?”.
>”What do you plan to do about this?”.
>”How was my mother?”.
>”Are you sure I don't have other siblings?”.
>Hug him.
>Leave him alone.
>Other?

>>42113297
>>Leave him alone.

>>42113297
>”How was my mother?”.
>Hug him.

>>42113297
>”What do you plan to do about this?”.
Let's get straight to the core, his avoidance is unseemly!

>>42113297
>”Would you have preferred I said nothing?”.
>”How was my mother?”.

>>42113297
"We need to have a talk about what we're we're going to do about this. But first, you have a lot of catching up to do."
>hug the shit out of him
>maybe tear up just a little bit

There's two things you have to consider now that you have some time to think.

The first is that the only reason you know he's your father is because you had divine visions and know a divine rite that allows you to specifically sniff out blood bonds. If you weren't a priestess of Isthar, you would have met him and never realized who he was. Heck, you might have even gone out on a date with him without having the slightest idea that he was your father.

The second is: he has none of that.

He is not a priest of Isthar, he doesn't look like a wizard, has no divination, and he is at least over forty years old, maybe even over fifty, and lived all these decades thinking he had no children, until a fully grown woman comes out and tells him she's his daughter, bringing credible proof of her heritage with her.

You have to give it to him: he's doing a great job not breaking down. You're not sure how you'd react if some day some kid came out and told you "You're my father!", which is completely possible considering your situation, and you've actually had your fun with more than one woman. You've been careful and responsible, of course, but so was your father.

When you do hug him, he hugs you back, a bit uncertainly at first, then more comfortably as soon as he gets his face off your chest by standing up. He also hits his temple on your horn, which always happens with everyone not used to you having them.

"Sorry", he chuckles, "I... This is awkward".

Well that's quite an understatement if you ever heard one, but his body is warm and his hug tight enough to give you a sense of comfort rather than distance, and not too tight to make you feel entrapped or restricted.

“How was my mother?”, you ask while you're there.

He snorts, partly in surprise and partly out of amusement, “Are you sure you want to know? Really, really sure? It might break the magic”.

>”Yes”.
>”No”.
>”Why wouldn't I?”.
>”Tell me everything, including how you met”.
>Other?

>>42113785
>”Tell me everything, including how you met”.
Time for feels.

>>42113785
"That half-elf with me is a mage. By all means, please break the magic."

>>42113785
>”Why wouldn't I?”.

>>42113785
>”Yes”.

>>42113785
>”Yes”.

"The half-elf with me is a mage. By all means, please break the magic", you assure him. Fortunately, he seems to find this very amusing, and his laughter helps at least break the gloom that got hold of him.

"Are you sure?", he asks again.

"Yes, tell me everything, including how you met".

He chuckles again, then sighs, pulling back from the hug for a moment and pausing as if to look for words, before staring back at you. "Lillith, was it?".

"Yes".

"Lillith, your mother was a complete bitch".

Somehow, you're not surprised, but you're also not satisfied in the slightest, "You're just making me want to know more about how you met".

He sighs with a smile, "No getting away from this, eh? Well, as you know, I'm an adventurer and in my younger days I've been doing plenty of this storming and raiding and, I have to say, I even cut a few heads when it came to it. Sometimes I had to cut those of other humans but, you'll surely understand, they were all bad guys, down to the last one of them".

"Of course".

"Now, one of the various party members I've had in my long experience was a magic user, a demonologist to be exact, and he was followed around by this annoying pest of a demon girl who not only complained all the time but just flopped about uselessly everytime we had to count on her for something", he explains, "Her master... I forgot his name, he's been with us for just one crawl and I've never heard of him ever since. What was his name, darn it...".

"Dad. Focus".

"Oh, right", he clears his throat, "So we were raiding that dungeon, the ruin of a tower that belonged to the magic user's old master, and she kept setting traps off and getting us nearly killed, and pulling all the wrong levers, and being just completely useless when she wasn't being dangerous”.

>”Is this story going anywhere?”.
>”So wait, if my mother is someone's familiar...”.
>”Why did a demonologist bring such a demon around?”.
>”I was... Conceived in a dungeon crawl?”.
>Other?

>>42114279
>”Why did a demonologist bring such a demon around?”.

>>42114279
"So does this end with her knocking you both into a pit trap and boredom setting in?"

>>42114279
>”I was... Conceived in a dungeon crawl?”.
Shameful

>>42114279
>”Why did a demonologist bring such a demon around?”.
>”Is this story going anywhere?”.
Night MP, off to bed.

>>42114279
>”Why did a demonologist bring such a demon around?”.

>>42114279
>”I was... Conceived in a dungeon crawl?”.

Demons are all interesting, in their own way.

"I was... Conceived in a dungeon crawl?", you don't know how this makes you feel, but judging from his reaction you must be making a very strange face.

"Let's not think about that, I was saying that she was flopping uselessly around instead of helping us fight the fleshy abominations the previous wizard left behind and was setting off all sorts of traps and-".

"Does this end with her knocking you both into a pit trap and boredom setting in?".

You were expecting this to be the oldest, stupidest pillow book cliché in the world, the sort that you would read in pale imitations of ageless classics such as "The lusty lizardfolk maid" and "The lord of rodly might", but instead your father freezes and goes "How did you-", before nearly biting his own tongue.

"So I WAS conceived in a dungeon crawl!".

"Shhh, shhh...", he pulls your arms down, giving worried glances towards the door which you accidentally hit because this room is just so cramped. He's right, you probably shouldn't be making a scene as you might not want everyone in the world to know that you were conceived in a dungeon's pit trap because your mother was so useless and aggravating she pushed one of the adventurers in.

"... Why did a demonologist bring such a demon around?", you wonder trying to retain control over the tone of your voice.

"Well he insisted she was actually pretty good when it came to magic and always tried to excuse her being useless in the most contrived ways... I think he was just a fetishist, though", he then clears his throat, "Anyways... We're both in this pit trap, narrowly avoided the spikes in the bottom, and I look down at her and go "You're so useless I bet you wouldn't even be able to lay down and let someone fuck you". Mind you I was a little... Er... Upset at that moment".

>”Please don't tell me she challenged you”.
>”Did her master not know?”.
>”I hope that raid went better than this story”.
>”You've never seen her again after that?”.
>PANIC
>Other?

>>42114697
>"How did you-"
Fuck yeah I'm a genius.

>”Please don't tell me she challenged you”
>"She did, didn't she."

>>42114697
>”I hope that raid went better than this story”.
>”You've never seen her again after that?”.

Just imagine next time we see Yomi.
>"So I heard about how my parents met."
>"You were right about everything."

>>42114697
>PANIC
>”You've never seen her again after that?”.
Lillith had a hard life, even before she was born.

>>42114697
>”Please tell me she challenged you”.

"Please don't-".

"So she made... The smuggest face I have ever seen in my life", he even tries to imitate it, and though he cannot achieve the same result because he is but a mortal man, he has witnessed such a sight and therefore knows, and even just the imitation of what must have been her expression, branded like fire in his mind after all these years, makes you want to punch him in the face, "And then said "Well find out limpdick" and just...".

He pauses, wondering if he should even continue, then he smiles and goes "And that's the story".

"... You've never seen her again after that?".

He shakes his head, "After we were done, the magic user with us got what he wanted from his previous master's remains, or well, the remains of his laboratory. We got all the rest of the loot because he didn't deem it important even if it made us quite rich for quite a while. Then we parted ways, and I've never seen either of the two again".

Of course, it couldn't have been that easy, "... Did her master... Not know?".

"I'm pretty sure he did. I mean if she was pregnant with you he ought to have known", he scratches his head, "I'm not sure though, she strikes me as the kind that "seduced" adventurers all the time so he had to be aware of her habits, but I have no idea how he reacted".

You ended up in an orphanage, so what you're sure of is that she's given birth, and then either didn't want to keep you or her master forbid her from doing so. Unfortunately, you'll never know unless you ask one of the two. "If my mother is someone's familiar... That means she's still in this world? Somewhere?".

Your father blinks, shrugging, "It's possible. Assuming her master didn't die or banish her or... Whatever. I have no idea where she is, however".

Still, for the first time in your life, you've learned about your mother, about the creature that has conceived and given birth to you, about the one you have to thank for the very fact of being alive.

And she's a complete bitch.

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374 KB JPG

And this is it for Episode 39!

Episode 40 is a nice, round number, therefore I have nothing special planned for it, except it will happen sometime next week. Still don't know when, though.

Thank you for participating, see you next time!

>>42115271
Thanks for running MP!

>>42115271
Every thread is a special thread. Thanks for running.

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110 KB PNG

Aaah, fuck, I forgot to post this when you were still around! Sorry MP.

It's a fresh new pic, made today in fact. Wanted to have Astreya together, but lack of visual references made it impossible.